Apparatus And Method For Performing A Cheer

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method are provided for performing a cheer using a pair of gloves, including a first glove and a second glove which are not connected to one another, but which can be used together to form a depiction of the head of an animal having a pair of jaws which can be manipulated to perform the cheer by moving the gloved arms of a person toward and away from one another in a scissors-like fashion to emulate opening and closing of the jaws of the animal head. One or both of the gloves may include holes extending therethrough so that one or more fingers and the thumb of the hand of a person wearing the glove can be used to grasp an object such as a drink container while wearing the glove.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for performing a cheerfor a sports team or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sports teams, schools, colleges, universities and other entities oftenadopt a mascot in the form of a human caricature or an animal. Sometimesthe mascot selected is tied to the name of the team or entity. Forexample, team names and their associated mascots have included the:Bears, Cougars, Lions, Hawks, Sharks, Gators, etc.

Often the mascots selected are animals of prey, such as birds, fish, orreptiles having jaws, beaks, etc., bearing teeth or sharp edges whichare used for capturing, tearing apart, and devouring the animals prey orenemies.

At least one college institution in the United States, the FloridaGators, of The University of Florida, have adopted a cheer for use atsporting events and the like which involves a fan extending their arms,essentially one above the other, and then moving the arms toward andaway from another to simulate a “chomping” action of the jaws of theirteam mascot, an alligator.

While cheers, such as the one performed by the fans of the FloridaGators, are widely practiced and recognized, it is desired to provide anapparatus and method for enhancing such cheers, and for performing newcheers. It is desired that such an apparatus and method for performing acheer be applicable not only to institutions or entities who currentlypractice similar cheers, such as the Florida Gators, but also beextendible for use by entities having mascots other than an alligatorand who do not currently practice a similar cheer.

It is desirable that such an apparatus and method be provided in a formwhich can readily and conveniently be utilized for performing a cheerperiodically, without significantly interfering with other activitiesbetween cheers that the person performing the cheer may wish to engagein, such as eating, drinking, handling binoculars or a camera, etc.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an apparatus and method for performing a cheerthrough use of a pair of gloves, including a first glove and a secondglove which are not connected to one another, but which, when usedtogether in accordance with the invention form a depiction of the headof an animal having a pair of jaws which can be manipulated to perform acheer.

In one form of the invention, a pair of gloves are provided, wherein afirst glove and a second glove of the pair, are not connected to oneanother, but together form a depiction of the head of an animal havingan upper and a lower jaw. The first glove depicts an upper portion ofthe animal head including the upper jaw, and the second glove depicts alower portion of the animal head including the lower jaw. The first andsecond gloves have coordinating facing surfaces thereof, extending alongthe upper and lower jaws, which, when brought into and out of proximitywith one another emulate the closing and opening of the jaws of thedepicted animal head.

The first and second gloves may be cooperatively configured forreceiving one arm of a person into the first glove, and the other arm ofthe person into the second glove.

At least one of the first and second gloves may include one or moreholes extending through the facing surface of the glove, for extensiontherethrough of one or more of the fingers and/or thumb of the hand of aperson wearing the glove. The holes in the facing surface may beconfigured to allow at least one forefinger and the thumb of the hand toextend through the facing surface for grasping an object, such as foodor drink, binoculars or a camera, with the at least one finger andthumb, while wearing the glove. By virtue of this construction, it willbe appreciated that the gloves can be worn continually by a person whileattending a sporting event, for example, so that the person wearing thegloves can engage in normal activities between use of the gloves withoutthe necessity of removing and re-donning the gloves.

The facing surface of at least one of the first and second gloves mayinclude a representation of one or more teeth extending therefrom. Thefirst glove may include a representation of at least one eye or otherfeatures of the animal head.

The invention may also be practiced in the form of a method forperforming a cheer. Such a method may include donning a pair of gloves,including a first glove and a second glove, not connected to oneanother, that together form a depiction of the head of an animal havingan upper and a lower jaw. The gloves may be donned by placing one arm ofa person into the first glove and the other arm of the person into thesecond glove. Where the first glove depicts an upper portion of theanimal head including the upper jaw, and the second glove depicts alower portion of the animal head including the lower jaw, with the firstand second gloves having coordinating facing surfaces thereof extendingalong the upper and lower jaws, which when brought into and out ofproximity with one another emulate closing and opening of the jaws ofthe depicted animal head, the method may include placing the gloved armsin proximity with one another with the facing surfaces of the glovesadjacent to one another to emulate the animal head.

A method, according to the invention, may including moving the glovedarms toward and away from one another in a scissors-like fashion toemulate closing and opening of the jaws of the animal head. The methodmay include periodically moving the gloved arms into proximity with oneanother and performing the cheer. Between cheers, the method may includemoving the gloved arms out of proximity with one another while the armsremain gloved.

Where one or both of the first and second gloves includes one or moreholes extending through the facing surfaces thereof, for extensionthrough the one or more holes of one or more of the fingers and thumb ofthe hand of a person wearing the glove, for grasping an object with theextending at least one finger and thumb while wearing the glove, themethod may further include grasping an object between cheers.

In forms of the invention where the facing surface of at least one ofthe first and second gloves includes a representation of one or moreteeth extending therefrom, the method may further include emulatingbiting with the one or more teeth as the gloved arms are moved into andout of proximity with one another.

A method for performing a cheer, according to the invention, may includepositioning two persons adjacent one another with each person wearing atleast one of the first and second gloves. The two adjacent persons thenperform the cheer by placing an arm of one person wearing the firstglove in proximity with an arm of the second person on which the secondglove is being worn, and having the two adjacent persons perform thecheer by moving their respective arms in coordination, in ascissors-like fashion to emulate closing and opening of the jaws of theanimal head. It will be appreciated that, according to the invention, aline of adjacent persons standing or seated next to one another in a rowof seats in a stadium, for example, could simultaneously all join inperforming the cheer together.

Other aspects, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description and accompanying drawings ofexemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of thespecification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a first exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, wherein, a pair of gloves emulating the head of analligator are worn on the arms of a person and manipulated forperforming a cheer, according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are, respectively, a top and a bottom view of theexemplary embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are, respectively, a front a rear view of the firstexemplary embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 6 and 7 are, respectively, a left and a right side view of theexemplary embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1.

While the invention will be described in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to thoseembodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives,modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-7 show a first exemplary embodiment of the invention in the formof an apparatus including a pair of gloves 10, for performing a cheer,in accordance with the invention. The pair of gloves 10 includes a firstglove 12 and a second glove 14, which are not connected to one another,but which together form a depiction of the head 15 of an alligatorhaving an upper and a lower jaw 16, 18.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first glove 12 generally depicts an upperportion of the head 15 of the alligator including the upper jaw 16. Theupper glove 12 further includes representations of the eyes 20, 20 andthe nostrils 22, 22 of the head 15 of the alligator. The second glove 14generally depicts the lower portion of the head 15 of the alligatorincluding the lower jaw 16.

The first and second gloves 12, 14 have coordinating facing surfaces 24,26 thereof, extending along the upper and lower jaws 16, 18, which whenbrought into and out of proximity with one another, in accordance withthe invention, emulate the closing and opening of the jaws 16, 18 of thealligator head 15. In the alligator head 15, of the exemplary embodiment10, the facing surfaces 24, 26 of both the first and second gloves 12,14 include rows of teeth 28, 30, to further enhance the depiction of thealligator head 15.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, the first and second gloves 12, 14include respective internal cavities 32, 34 therein which arecooperatively configured for receiving the arms 36, 38 of a person forwearing and utilizing the gloves 12, 14 for periodically performing acheer. As depicted in FIG. 1, the first glove 12 is being worn on aright arm 36 of the person, and the second glove 14 is being worn in theleft arm 38 of the person. It is contemplated, however, that the gloves12, 14 may be configured for being worn on either the right or the leftarm 36, 38 of the person, so that a right-handed or left-handed personmay choose which arm they would like to have inserted into the first orthe second glove 12, 14. It is further contemplated, that in someembodiments of the invention, it may be desirable to have two personsparticipate in a cheer, according to the invention, where one person iswearing the first glove 12 and the second person is wearing the secondglove 14.

As will be readily understood from FIG. 1, with the first and secondgloves 12, 14 being worn on the arms 36, 38, a cheer may be performed,according to the invention, by placing the gloved arms 36, 38 inproximity with one another, with the facing surfaces 24, 26 of thegloves 12, 14 adjacent one another to emulate the animal head 15,generally as shown in FIG. 1, and then moving the gloved arms 36, 38toward and away from one another in a scissors-like fashion to emulateopening and closing of the jaws 16, 18 of the alligator head 15.

It will appreciated that, in other embodiments of the invention, thefirst and second gloves 12, 14 may be configured to depict an animalhead for an animal other than an alligator. It is further contemplated,that the term “animal head,” as used herein, is meant to be broad enoughto depict any member of the animal kingdom having a pair of jaws,including, but not limited to, humans and other types of mammals,marsupials, reptiles and amphibians, birds, bony and cartilaginousfishes or any other animal having a head including a pair of jaws whichmay be depicted by a first and a second glove according to theinvention.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the facing surfaces 24, 26 of thefirst and second gloves 12, 14, in the exemplary embodiment of theapparatus 10, both include holes 42, 44 for extending the thumbs 48, 50,and additional holes 52, 54 for extending one or more fingers 56, 58through the first and second facing surfaces 24, 26, while the gloves12, 14 are being worn on the arms 36, 38. By virtue of thisconstruction, a person wearing the pair of gloves 10 can grasp an object(not shown), such as a drink container, binoculars or a camera betweenthe thumb and fingers 48, 56 or 50, 58 of either or both hands whilewearing the gloves 12, 14.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patentscited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each reference were individually and specifically indicated to beincorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of valuesherein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referringindividually to each separate value falling within the range, unlessotherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated intothe specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methodsdescribed herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwiseindicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The useof any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the inventionand does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventor for carrying out the invention.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventor intends for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

1 A pair of gloves, comprising: a first glove and a second glove, notconnected to one another, that together form a depiction the head of ananimal having an upper and a lower jaw; the first glove depicting anupper portion of the animal head including the upper jaw; and the secondglove depicting a lower portion of the animal head including the lowerjaw; the first and second gloves having coordinating facing surfacesthereof extending along the upper and lower jaws, which when broughtinto and out of proximity with one another emulate closing and openingof the jaws of the depicted animal head.
 2. The pair of gloves, of claim1, wherein, at least one of the first and second gloves includes one ormore holes extending through the facing surface thereof, for extensiontherethrough of one or more of the fingers and thumb of the hand of aperson wearing the glove.
 3. The pair of gloves of claim 2, wherein, theholes in the facing surface are configured to allow at least one fingerand the thumb of the hand to extend therethough for grasping an objectwith the extending at least one finger and thumb while wearing theglove.
 4. The pair of gloves of claim 1, wherein, the facing surface ofat least one of the first and second gloves includes a representation ofone or more teeth extending therefrom.
 5. The pair of gloves of claim 1,wherein, the first glove includes a representation of at least one eyeof the animal head.
 6. A method for performing a cheer, comprising:donning a pair of gloves, including a first glove and a second glove,not connected to one another, that together form a depiction the head ofan animal having an upper and a lower jaw, by placing one arm of aperson into the first glove, and the other arm of the person into thesecond glove; where the first glove depicts an upper portion of theanimal head including the upper jaw, the second glove depicts a lowerportion of the animal head including the lower jaw, with the first andsecond gloves having coordinating facing surfaces thereof extendingalong the upper and lower jaws, which when brought into and out ofproximity with one another emulate closing and opening of the jaws ofthe depicted animal head; and placing the gloved arms in proximity withone another with the facing surfaces of the gloves adjacent one anotherto emulate the animal head.
 7. The method of claim 6, furthercomprising, moving the gloved arms toward and away from one another in ascissors-like fashion to emulate closing and opening of the jaws of theanimal head.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: periodicallymoving the gloved arms into proximity to one another and performing thecheer; and between cheers, moving the gloved arms out of proximity withone another while the arms remain gloved.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein: one or both of the first and second gloves includes one or moreholes extending through the facing surface thereof, for extensiontherethrough of one or more of the fingers and thumb of the hand of aperson wearing the glove, for grasping an object with the extending atleast one finger and thumb while wearing the glove; and the methodfurther comprises, grasping an object between cheers.
 10. The method ofclaim 7, wherein: the facing surface of at least one of the first andsecond gloves includes a representation of one or more teeth extendingtherefrom; and the method further comprises, emulating biting with theone or more teeth as the gloved arms are moved into and out of proximityto one another.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein, performing the cheerfurther comprises: positioning two persons adjacent one another, witheach person wearing at least one of the first and second gloves; andperforming the cheer by placing an arm of one person wearing the firstglove in proximity with an arm of the second person on which the secondglove is being worn, and having the two adjacent persons perform thecheer by moving their respective arms in coordination according to thesteps of claim
 8. 12. An apparatus for performing a cheer, the apparatuscomprising, a pair of gloves, including, a first glove and a secondglove, not connected to one another, that together form a depiction thehead of an animal having an upper and a lower jaw.
 13. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein: the first glove depicts an upper portion of theanimal head including the upper jaw; and the second glove depicts alower portion of the animal head including the lower jaw; the first andsecond gloves having coordinating facing surfaces thereof extendingalong the upper and lower jaws, which when brought into and out ofproximity with one another emulate closing and opening of the jaws ofthe depicted animal head; the first and second gloves beingcooperatively configured for receiving one arm of a person into thefirst glove, and the other arm of the person into the second glove, forperforming the cheer by placing the gloved arms in proximity with oneanother with the facing surfaces of the gloves adjacent one another toemulate the animal head, and moving the gloved arms toward and away fromone another in a scissors-like fashion to emulate closing and opening ofthe jaws of the animal head.
 14. The apparatus, of claim 13, wherein, atleast one of the first and second gloves includes one or more holesextending through the facing surface thereof, for extension therethroughof one or more of the fingers and thumb of the hand of a person wearingthe glove.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, the holes in thefacing surface are configured to allow at least one finger and the thumbof the hand to extend therethough for grasping an object with theextending at least one finger and thumb while wearing the glove.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein, the facing surface of at least one ofthe first and second gloves includes a representation of one or moreteeth extending therefrom.
 17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, thefirst glove includes a representation of at least one eye of the animalhead.